City of Santa Clarita Transit

City of Santa Clarita Transit

City of Santa Clarita Transit bus at Santa Clarita station.
Parent	City of Santa Clarita
Founded	August 5, 1991 (1991-08-05)
Headquarters	Transit Maintenance Facility 28250 Constellation Rd
Locale	City of Santa Clarita Los Angeles County
Service type	Transit bus
Routes	38
Hubs	McBean Regional Transit Center Newhall station Santa Clarita station
Fleet	109 buses
Daily ridership	12,000 (weekdays, Q3 2024)[1]
Annual ridership	2,111,800 (2023)[2]
Fuel type	CNG, Diesel, Gasoline
Operator	MV Transportation
Website	Santa Clarita Transit

City of Santa Clarita Transit is a local bus service, administered by the City's transit division, that serves the City of Santa Clarita, California and nearby surrounding unincorporated areas. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 2,111,800, or about 12,000 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024. Daily operations and maintenance of the fleet are under contract with MV Transportation.^[3] City of Santa Clarita Transit routes connect with services operated by Metro and Metrolink.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Works contracts with City of Santa Clarita Transit to provide fixed route and Dial-A-Ride services in some unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County that are near the city limits of Santa Clarita. These areas include the communities of Castaic, Forest Park, Stevenson Ranch, Sunset Pointe, and Val Verde.

The City of Santa Clarita assumed responsibility for local transit in 1991 from Los Angeles County, which had developed an embryonic transit network. A small City staff provides supervision over a contract operator. Over time, the local fixed route network and dial-a-ride service was expanded. Under City management, a number of new regional express services to various points in the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, Antelope Valley, and downtown Los Angeles were added or improved.^[4]

In mid-2007 Santa Clarita Transit entered into a contract with MV Transportation and underwent a branding overhaul. The agency was renamed "City of Santa Clarita Transit" and buses received a new green and blue livery which reflect the colors of the city logo.^[5] The livery debuted in August 2007 on 2 brand new 60-foot (18 m) articulated buses. Also receiving an overhaul are the city's bus stops through a $2-million dollar Bus Stop Improvement Program. This included replacing 51 Clear Channel advertising shelters, benches, and trash cans. In addition, 40 additional stops will receive new non-advertising shelters, as well as a number of stops receiving new non-advertisement benches. An element of public art will be added to approximately 15 bus stops. The program's purpose is threefold, bus stops will become more uniform in look and features, the advertisement on benches will be eliminated, and public art will have a large expansion.^[6] The overhauls are major parts of the city's efforts to make transit more attractive to citizens.

Starting in 2010, City of Santa Clarita Transit began Summer Beach bus service to Santa Monica State Beach, from Canyon Country, and Newhall. Beginning in the 2023 Summer Season, the service exclusively services Ventura Harbor, starting and ending from Via Princessa station and stopping at the McBean Regional Transit Center in both directions. The beach bus is identified by route number, 103, only in operation from June to Labor Day in September, only on Saturdays and Sundays. ^[7]

On September 15, 2023, after over a year of negotiations with MV Transportation, transit service workers represented by Teamsters Local 572 voted to go on strike until a fair contract is reached. MV Transportation was notified of the decision to strike on September 28.^[8]

The strike officially began on October 9, halting all bus and paratransit services across the city. The strike forced Santa Clarita Transit and William S. Hart High School District to negotiate an emergency contract with charter bus company Transit Systems in order to provide limited school tripper services to select schools and infrequent bus services along routes 1, 2, 5, 6, and 12.^[8] Santa Clarita City Council declined to enter into contract negotiations as a third party.^[9]

The strike ended on December 3rd, 2023. Teamsters Local 572 reached an agreement with MV Transportation. Buses returned to operation on December 4th, the strike lasted 55 days.

Santa Clarita Transit operates 38 bus lines: 9 Local routes, 2 Station Link routes, 20 School Tripper routes, and 9 Commuter Express routes.^[10]

Station Link service provides service from the Santa Clarita station to local places of employment within the Santa Clarita Valley. Station Link service operates on weekdays peak periods (6-9am, 4-6pm) only except route 501, which as of February 2023, makes morning and afternoon trips excluding midday even on Saturdays and Sundays, select holidays included.

Supplemental School Day Service routes (also known as Tripper Service), provide service to and from local Junior High and High Schools from residential areas. Supplemental School Day Service routes are numbered in the 600's. This service is only operated on weekdays when schools are in session. Trips are timed with school bell schedule.^[11]

Routes include:

• Route 620 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
• Route 621 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
• Route 622 – Rio Norte Jr. High School
• Route 623 – Rio Norte Jr. High School
• Route 624 – Valencia High School
• Route 626 – La Mesa Jr. High School
• Route 627 – La Mesa Jr. High School
• Route 628 – Golden Valley High School
• Route 629 – Golden Valley High School
• Route 632 – Canyon High School
• Route 633 – Saugus High School
• Route 634 – Rancho Pico Jr. High School & West Ranch High School
• Route 635 – Ranch Pico Jr. High School & West Ranch High School
• Route 636 – Valencia High School & West Ranch High School
• Route 637 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School
• Route 638 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
• Route 640 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
• Route 641 – Placerita Jr. High School & Hart High School
• Route 643 – Arroyo Seco Jr. High School & Saugus High School
• Route 644 – La Mesa Jr. High School

Commuter Express provides service to and from to major places of employment outside of the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 796-799), and also provides service from areas outside of the Santa Clarita Valley to major places of employment inside the Santa Clarita Valley (Routes 791-794). All Commuter Express Routes run on weekdays only, except for Route 757, which runs seven days a week.^[12]

• McBean Regional Transit Center
• Santa Clarita station
• Newhall station
• Via Princessa station
• Vista Canyon Multi-Modal Center (Future)
• North Hollywood station (757)
• Chatsworth Metrolink station (791)
• Downtown Burbank station (794)
• Union Station (Los Angeles) (794)

City of Santa Clarita Transit is housed in the City's Transit Maintenance Facility. The facility has been gold LEED certified.

Make/Model	Fleet Numbers	Thumbnail	Year	Notes
Hometown Manufacturing Villager	100		2017	Only used for events
Optima AH–28	101		2006	Only used for events Runs on Diesel Ex–Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority
Gillig Low Floor CNG 40'	102–104, 106–112		2013	On November 6, 2017, Bus 102 was totaled in a fatal multi–vehicle accident on Sierra Highway[13]
	113–123		2014
	124–127		2018
	128–134		2019
	135–137		2020
	138–140		2020
	146–149		2022
	150–151		2023
Gillig Low Floor CNG 29'	142–145		2021
	152–153		2023
NABI 60-BRT CNG	177–178		2007	Used for School Tripper routes
New Flyer C40LFR	188–194		2010	In the process of retirement
MCI D4500CT CNG	259–264		2013	Used for Commuter Express routes
	265–269		2015
	270–279		2017
	280–282		2018
	283–284		2020
	285–286		2022
	287–288		2023
Glaval Bus	368–371		2012	Used for Dial–a–Ride services
	372–389		2017

Wikimedia Commons has media related to City of Santa Clarita Transit.

• City of Santa Clarita Transit Website